1. Field of the Invention
Inertially stabilized heliostat type devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art heliostat devices of which applicant was aware had a vertical stabilized-body-azimuth axis about which an elevation gimbal supporting a highly concentrated inertially stabilized body was moveable angularly in azimuth; a vertical stabilizing-mirror-azimuth axis, offset horizontally from the stabilized-body-azimuth axis, about which a half-angle azimuth movement of an input stabilizing mirror took place; and a horizontal elevation axis on which such elevation gimbal was supported, which elevation axis was located in a vertical plane offset horizontally from the vertical plane in which the stabilized-body-azimuth axis was located.
As a result of the foregoing prior art arrangement, the entire weight of the inertially stabilized body was displaced aft of the elevation axis, and a balancing weight was employed on such gimbal forward of the elevation axis. The device was susceptible to an undesirable degree of performance degradation during subjection to certain vibrational conditions imposed on the device externally. Applicant rationalized that the counterweight of the prior art device so altered its resonant frequency as to make the device prone to adverse influence by the vibrational operating conditions, as well as adding unnecessarily to the overall weight of the device. In addition, applicant believed that the prior art counterweight on the elevation gimbal was improperly placed for best seismographic action (self-stabilization) of the device, and that added mass, if any, should be part of the inertia-stabilized body mass to enhance its inertial resistance to positional changes.